Since the church is the representative of Jesus on earth, Jesus is doing whatever the church does. So even though Jesus himself did not actually do what this article states, it is still shocking to think about how this money was spent.

Dying to Religion and Empire is going to ruffle some feathers as I not only challenge the practices of baptism and communion (die to your rites), but also raise questions about the legal rights of Christians to the freedom of speech, to bear arms, and to various other rights guaranteed by the First Amendment and the Bill of Rights.

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The church is chosen by God. But the church did not replace Israel. The church is the fulfillment of the reason God chose Israel as His elect nation. And just as God chose Israel to be a blessing to the world, so also, the church, as the elect people of God, are to be a blessing to the world.

A blog reader sent in a story about how he and his wife are learning to be the church in his community. They were a bit disappointed with how their church handled a situation, and so took matters into their own hands to love others like Jesus. If you have a similar story, send it in!